Statement of Milly Silva, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU, on the $15 minimum wage agreement:

“The healthcare workers of 1199SEIU congratulate Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin for reaching agreement on historic legislation to raise New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15.

“This legislation will have a profound impact on the lives of one million New Jersey workers, their families and communities. It will be a boon to our state’s economy and have an especially significant impact on women, people of color, and young workers.

“This is a victory over fifty years in the making. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the March on Washington in 1963, one of the key demands in the marchers’ platform was a minimum wage of $2 an hour. Adjusted for inflation, that’s just over $15 today. As we prepare to honor Dr. King’s life on Monday, we celebrate that this long-sought goal will soon be achieved in the Garden State.

“The Fight for $15 and a Union movement has never been just about raising wages, but about ensuring that every worker has the opportunity to join together in a union for rights, dignity, and respect. Passing this bill will not be an end to this movement. There is still work to be done in New Jersey to ensure $15 without exceptions and to secure the rights of all workers to organize.”

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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in New Jersey and nationwide. We represent over 16,000 healthcare families in New Jersey and over 400,000 total members throughout New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, D.C.   Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.